


The Future

by debwalsh



Series: Bingo-Bingo [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Established Relationship, Happy Steve Bingo, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-04 23:57:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16799617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debwalsh/pseuds/debwalsh
Summary: When Bucky finds himself pregnant, he’s got some decisions to make.  And Steve figures prominently in them.This will make more sense if you read the series from the beginning in this order:I’ll Tell You But You’re Not Gonna Like ItDo we really have to do this again?Then this one.I’ve waited so long for this





	The Future

**Author's Note:**

> My fifth and final square for my Happy Steve Bingo - Children.
> 
> I’d actuallly worked out a lot of the logistics of how this would work when I was writing the short pieces that ended up in my Fictober series. But I didn’t have time to delve into this, and deliver the final story on time. So I’m really pleased to finally incorporate some of that stuff here.

“So. How’s everything look?”

Dr. Helen Cho looked up from where she fed a strip into the machine in front of her, and smiled. The strip held a drop of Bucky’s blood, and the machine was supposed to unlock the secrets of life, the universe, and everything.

Or at the very least, the options that were open to Bucky. And his mate, Steve. And the little bundle of cells that was currently multiplying and expanding in his formerly defunct womb.

The machine gave a little chirp, and her smile grew. “Viable. The embryo is viable.”

Something uncoiled in his gut at the same time his chest tightened. He really should have waited until Steve was back from his mission in South America, but as soon as Helen had said she was ready to start tests, he’d been too impatient to wait.

Now, he was regretting his impulsiveness. And the fact that Steve agreed to take his fine ass - and finer knot - somewhere Bucky was not.

But he had to know. Everything rode on this next question.

“Is it ... is it human?”

“You mean as opposed to enhanced? Sergeant Barnes, you are human, you know. Even if you’re enhanced, you’re still a part of the human race. As for your child, yes, they’re human. Yes, they are likely enhanced.”

“But will they be normal? I mean, okay? Between the two of us -“

“You’ve both been exposed to a great deal. Radiation, both terrestrial and non, chemicals, drugs, genetic manipulation. But at your core, you’re both still human. I don’t see any genetic concerns. No abnormalities are showing at this point. I can’t promise you that some might not develop later, but we can certainly see what we can do to mitigate them if they occur. So that leaves us with the next question - do you want to try to carry the embryo?”

Bucky pursed his lips and stared at the machine like it might give him the answers he needed. It was annoyingly silent. Finally, he shook his head.

“I don’t see how I can,” he said softly, feeling like he was admitting defeat in a battle he hadn’t realized he’d wanted to win.

Helen let out her breath slowly, clasping her hands in front of her. “Well, I’m actually relieved to hear that.”

Bucky looked up sharply, frowning

“Mortality among male omegas is up, in large part because nature is gradually ridding herself of the secondary designations. We don’t need men to have children to perpetuate the species. And the changing views of what it means to be a man have altered the way in which male physiques are often maintained. Changes in diet, in the environment, a plethora of things we don’t even track, I suspect - all contribute to the fact that male omegas carry to term less successfully now than they did when you and the Captain first presented.”

“So ... it doesn’t matter if it’s healthy -“

“I didn’t say that. Across the world, we have better techniques and technologies for preserving the lives of both parent and child in childbirth, but there are still situations where the parent dies in childbirth. Or the child, even both. Or where the parent cannot carry the child. The world has experimented with surrogates, and that is reasonably successful. But I’ve been looking for ways to make it possible for the parent to nurture their child while not actually carrying it within their body.”

“That pod thing you mentioned.”

“It’s more complex than that, but yes.”

“And you think you can use it for my ... embryo.”

“Yes. It’s a unique opportunity, and it could be of great benefit to alpha-omega pairs across the globe. And non-designated couples as well. Same-sex couples, too. But I do need to know if ... well, if you would plan to keep the child.”

“I have to decide now?”

“Before the implantation would be best. I have ideas on how to make the environment support a full bond with the parents, but if you’re not planning to keep it -“

“It wouldn’t be fair to the kid to promote a bond I won’t keep. I get it. Okay. I need to talk it over with Steve. But lay it on me - exactly what are we talking here?”

&&&

“Is it safe? For you, I mean.”

“Safer than carrying. Even with my enhanced metabolism, I ain’t exactly built for birth. Maybe back in 1935, but not now.”

“Your Ma worried something fierce when you presented. Worse’n my Ma about me.”

“Yeah, I know. She put me on scent blockers and suppressants she got off old Miz Dagmar so fast it was scary, lemme tell you.”

They were lounging naked in bed where they’d celebrated Steve’s return - seven times, thank you very much - and Steve held Bucky close to him, his dick and knot spent and limp under Bucky’s slick-less ass. Seriously, Steve fucked the slick right outta him ...

Steve played with Bucky’s metal fingers, winding his own flesh ones in and out of the synthetic digits. It felt nice to have something designed to be a weapon treated with such care. But then, Steve always treated Bucky like he was worthwhile. Bucky decided he’d keep him. Like that was ever in doubt.

“You’re allowed to have an opinion, you know,” Bucky told him softly, pulling their joined hands to his lips where he ghosted a kiss over Steve’s knuckles. “The kid is half yours, after all.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you doofus. What is it you want?”

“I want a family. I want to keep it. Them. I want to be somebody’s Dad, with you. Is that something you want?”

“If I weren’t so fucked out right now? I’d be riding your dick to kingdom come. I love you so fucking much, and you just made me wanna love you even more. But I can’t. Because I already love you too fucking much. So kiss me, you goddamned idiot,” Bucky ordered, rolling over in Steve’s arms to plant one on his mate’s lips.

&&&

The extraction procedure went smoothly, and the embryo was implanted in the artificial womb without incident. It was the preparation that was unique to them - Helen had created a primordial soup from elements extracted from both of them to create a self-cleansing, self-perpetuating environment for the embryo to grow, like amniotic fluid, but containing elements of both omega and alpha. She recorded both parents’ heartbeats to provide a soothing background for the pod.

The best part was that it was portable, and each of Steve and Bucky could carry their child with them, speak to it, share their scents, and generally bond with the baby throughout the gestation period. It was revolutionary technology, a flexible gestation chamber that would grow with the embryo, allow direct interaction from both parents, and provide for clear diagnostics and intervention if needed.

Steve and Bucky continued to serve in their respective capacities for the Avengers for a few more weeks, but once the embryo started to differentiate into a fetus with recognizable features, no one could get them to leave the pod alone. Captain America and the Winter Soldier retired from public service shortly thereafter. Despite calls from the press for a reason and an interview, both fathers to be declined to share any part of their personal journey with anyone outside their circle of friends.

Steve and Bucky traded off who got to carry the pod. Bucky had knitted little slings for them to use to cradle the pod close to their hearts, then Steve had to knit even larger ones as the fetus began to grow even larger.

When Helen informed them they were having a daughter, the pair of them sat in her office holding hands, each crying silently. Then slowly, they’d turned to each other and grinned, then grabbed each other in hug, weeping opening. Loudly. Messily.

The Avengers baby shower was epic. Thor brought mead. And a thousand year old cradle that he finally admitted had been his own.

“It served me well. I would be honored to have it serve Baby Barnes-Rogers as well.”

They didn’t tell him about OSHA or regulations about child safety, and instead accepted the gift in the spirit in which it was offered.

Perhaps the sweetest gift was the little rattle that Peter Parker shyly handed them in a clumsily wrapped box.

Bucky held it up, his eyebrow raised questioningly.

“My Ma gave me that. ‘S’only thing I have from her, ‘sides Aunt May. It always made me feel loved, y’know? Safe. So maybe your little girl -“ he squeaked as his air was cut off by the fierce hug he got from both Steve and Bucky.

“On loan. It’s on loan. And we’ll take good care of it. So you can share it with your kid when you’re ready to have one. Not soon, though. You’re too young to be a teen dad,” Bucky told him with a mock-glower.

“I, um, yeah. I don’t even have a, that is, I’ve never, um, I’m not sure how -“

“Let it go, kid. You tell Barnes too much, and he’s gonna be givin’ you diagrams and instruction manuals,” Sam warned with a chuckle.

“I’m a firm believer in the value of education, Wilson,” Bucky replied archly, but he couldn’t quite contain the pleased smile at the kid who just gave his most prized possession to his unborn daughter. 

“You see? This is your family, sweetheart,” Steve crooned to the egg-shaped pod resting in the sling against his abdomen. “They’re crazy and they’re weird, and they’re gonna love you just like we do.”

Bucky looked at his mate, and was again reminded that not only was he a world class dork, he was his world class dork. And he had never been happier.

END

**Author's Note:**

> And thank you for your support of my offerings to the Happy Steve Bingo! Next up I have the Fluff Bingo, more WIPs, a new story I wrote for my Patreon patrons, and a holiday challenge. Plus, holiday gift exchanges that drop between 21-23Dec18..
> 
> Gonna be a busy December!


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